British Airways & Bremont watchmakers partner to create a timepiece of history

British Airways has partnered with luxury British watchmakers Bremont on the launch of a new limited-edition timepiece that features metal from one of the most famous and iconic planes in history – Concorde.

Ahead of the airline’s centenary celebrations next year, the special edition watch was unveiled at an event – exactly 15 years after Concorde’s official farewell was held at Heathrow on October 24, 2003.

VIVA attended the lavish bash held at The Design Museum in London. As guests of the airline, we flew down to the capital from Manchester for the exclusive event. From door to door, it took us less than it usually would if you we were to travel by train: Super-speed!

Back to the watches…

‘The Supersonic’ contains aluminium from the G-BOAB Concorde, known as Alpha Bravo, that was donated by British Airways to Bremont to incorporate into these exclusive timepieces.

The watch features an eight-day power reserve and has a sunburst white dial that represents Concorde’s specially developed highly reflective paint.

The blue hands echo British Airways’ livery and a subtle motif of the plane’s iconic silhouette can be seen on the second-hand sub dial.

The metal has been incorporated into the case back that features a description of the aircraft’s main attributes: number and registration, years of active service, number of supersonic flights as well as her top speed. The watch will be limited to 300 steel, 100 white gold and 100 rose gold pieces, with prices starting from £9,495.

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Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, explains: “Concorde was such a magnificent piece of engineering and will always be an important part of our heritage. We are hugely excited to have partnered with Bremont, another British brand with a history of exceptional design, as we celebrate Concorde’s 50th year and look ahead to our centenary in 2019.”

Alpha Bravo was registered in 1974 and was the third Concorde to be added to the fleet, taking to the skies for the first time in May 1976. In September 1984, she set a distance record for an airliner with a 4,565-mile flight from Washington to Nice and in November of that year, flew the inaugural charter service from London to Seattle via New York. She was even famed for flying the England squad home from France from the 1998 World Cup.

More than 2.5 million customers experienced flying eleven miles high at twice the speed of sound, with Concorde halving the time of transatlantic crossing and flying faster than a rifle bullet.

Giles English, Bremont’s Co-founder, explains: “Concorde was more than just metal. She inspired pride and emotion – that is truly a rare thing. We are delighted to dedicate the Bremont Supersonic chronometer to this remarkable type and will incorporate aluminium from Concorde Alpha Bravo into the watch. The Bremont Supersonic is our unique tribute to the world’s only successful supersonic airliner; it’s an honour to work with a prestigious company such as British Airways and for them to trust us with their Concorde heritage.”

Nick English, Bremont’s Co-founder, added: “Concorde made the dream of supersonic travel a reality. She was a landmark in aircraft design and her incredible achievements make her a classic example of British engineering at its finest.”

Parts of the proceeds from these unique limited-edition timepieces will be donated to the Air League Trust, an organisation that works to teach under privileged children to learn how to fly. This exceptional cause is part of a wider network of charities supported by British Airways, known as Flying Start.